Peggy Jean Bradford v. James William Anderson and Myra Alea, In Re: Rachel Anderson, D/O/B 10/20/1990

Court of Appeals of Tennessee

Peggy Jean Bradford v. James William Anderson and Myra Alea, In Re: Rachel Anderson, D/O/B 10/20/1990

Court of Appeals of Tennessee·Decided November 16, 1998·No. 01-A-01-9712 -CV-00689·Published

Opinion

IN T H E C O U R T O F A P P E A L S O F T E N N E S S E E

F L E I D A T N A S H V IL L E

N o v e m b e r 1 6 , 1 9 9 8

P E G G Y J E A N B R A D F O R D , ) C e c il W . C r o w s o n ) A p p e lla t e C o u r t P e t it io n e r /A p p e lla n t , ) C le r k ) A p p e a l N o . V S . ) 0 1 -A -0 1 -9 7 1 2 -C V -0 0 6 8 9 ) J A M E S W IL L IA M A N D E R S O N ) C o ffe e C ir c u it a n d M Y R A A L E A ) N o . 2 5 ,2 3 2 ) R e s p o n d e n t s /A p p e l l e e s , ) ) IN R E : R a c h e l L e e A n d e rs o n )

d /o /b : 1 0 /2 0 /9 0 )

A P P E A L E D F R O M T H E C IR C U IT C O U R T O F C O F F E E C O U N T Y A T M A N C H E S T E R , T E N N E S S E E

T H E H O N O R A B L E G E R A L D L . E W E L L , S R ., J U D G E

J . B R O O K S F O X M O O R E & H E D G E S 1 0 5 N . A t la n t ic S t re e t P . O . B o x 1 8 1 0 T u lla h o m a , T e n n e s s e e 3 7 3 8 8 A tto rn e y fo r P e t it io n e r /A p p e lla n t

H . T H O M A S P A R S O N S P A R S O N S , N IC H O L S & J O H N S O N 1 0 1 W e s t M a in S t re e t M a n c h e s t e r, T e n n e s s e e 3 7 3 5 5 A tto rn e y fo r R e s p o n d e n t s /A p p e l l e e s

A F F IR M E D A N D R E M A N D E D B E N H . C A N T R E L L P R E S ID IN G J U D G E , M .S .

C O N C U R : K O C H , J . C A IN , J .

O P I N I O N

T h i s is a c u s t o d y d is p u t e b e t w e e n t h e c h ild ’s fa t h e r a n d

th e c h ild ’s m a te rn a l g ra n d m o th e r, w h o w a s n o m in a te d a s th e

c u s to d ia n in th e w ill o f t h e c h ild ’s m o th e r. T h e C ir c u it C o u r t o f

C o ffe e C o u n ty a w a rd e d c u s to d y to th e fa th e r a n d h is m o th e r. W e

a f fir m .

I.

T h e c h ild , R a c h e l L e e A n d e r s o n , w a s b o rn o n O c t o b e r 2 2 ,

1 9 9 0 to J a m e s W illia m A n d e rs o n a n d L e e s a D e y n e A n d e r s o n . T h e

p a re n ts d iv o rc e d o n A u g u s t 1 2 , 1 9 9 1 in C o ffe e C o u n ty , a n d th e

m o th e r w a s a w a rd e d c u s to d y o f th e m in o r c h ild . L e e s a D e y n e

A n d e r s o n d i e d s u d d e n ly o n A p r i l 2 9 , 1 9 9 7 le a v in g a w i l l i n w h i c h s h e

a p p o in t e d h e r p a r e n t s , P e g g y a n d J e rr y B r a d fo r d a s g u a r d ia n s o f t h e

c h i l d . J e r r y B r a d f o r d p r e d e c e a s e d h is d a u g h t e r o n A p r i l 1 9 , 1 9 9 6 .

- 2 - O n M a y 2 , 1 9 9 7 P e g g y B r a d fo r d file d a p e tit io n fo r c u s to d y

in th e C ir c u it C o u r t o f C o ffe e C o u n ty . T h e p e t it io n n a m e d J a m e s

W illia m A n d e r s o n a s a d e fe n d a n t a n d a lle g e d t h a t h e h a d d e m a n d e d

c u s to d y o f t h e c h ild , b u t t h a t p la c in g t h e c h ild in h is c u s t o d y w o u ld

b e d a n g e ro u s b e c a u s e o f h is v io le n t a n d a g g re s s iv e b e h a v io r a n d

p s y c h ia t r ic p r o b le m s .

J a m e s W illia m A n d e rs o n o b ta in e d p e rm is s io n fo r h is

m o th e r M y ra A le a t o in t e r v e n e in th e a c tio n . T h e y file d a

c o u n t e r c la im fo r jo in t c u s to d y .

T h e p r o o f s h o w s t h a t s in c e 1 9 8 0 o r b e f o r e M r . A n d e r s o n

h a d a h is to r y o f a lc o h o lis m a n d s c h iz o p h r e n i a , f o r w h i c h h e d r a w s a

s e r v ic e -r e la t e d d is a b ilit y p e n s io n . In th e p a s t h e h a s s h o w n a

p r o p e n s it y t o im p r o v e a n d th e n r e la p s e . H is a lc o h o lis m m a k e s it

m o r e lik e ly th a t h is s c h iz o p h r e n ia w ill r e c u r . In t h e o p in io n o f o n e

p s y c h i a t r i s t , a m a n w i t h M r . A n d e r s o n ’s h i s t o r y w o u l d h a v e d if f i c u l t y

w it h in t e r p e r s o n a l r e la t io n s h ip s a n d b e in g n u r t u r in g t o o t h e r s . A s a

r e s u lt , a c h ild in h is c u s t o d y w o u ld b e “ a t r is k .”

M r. A n d e rs o n o ffe re d h is tr e a t in g p s y c h ia t r is t ’s o p in io n

t h a t h e w a s c a p a b le o f t a k in g c a r e o f t h e c h ild a n d t h a t t h e r e w a s n o

p s y c h ia t r ic p a t h o lo g y th a t w o u ld p r e v e n t h im fro m d is c h a rg in g h is

p a r e n t a l d u t ie s . D u r in g t h e s ix t e e n m o n t h s M r . A n d e r s o n h a s b e e n

- 3 - u n d e r t h e p s y c h ia t r is t ’s c a r e , h e h a s b e e n s o b e r a n d h a s ta k e n t h e

m e d ic a t io n p r e s c rib e d fo r th e s c h iz o p h r e n ia . In th e o p in io n o f th e

d o c t o r , M r . A n d e r s o n h a s s t e a d ily im p r o v e d .

M r . A n d e r s o n te s tifie d t h a t h e in t e n d e d t o t a k e t h e c h ild

t o h is m o t h e r ’s h o m e in F lo r id a u n t il h e c o u ld m a k e m o r e p e r m a n e n t

liv in g a r r a n g e m e n ts . H is s is te r liv e s a b o u t a m ile a w a y fr o m h is

m o t h e r , s o s h e c a n le n d a d d it io n a l fa m ily s u p p o r t . B o t h t h e m o t h e r

a n d s is t e r d r in k s o c ia lly .

T h e o n ly te s tim o n y a b o u t a n y a g g re s s iv e b e h a v io r o n t h e

p a rt o f M r. A n d e rs o n c a m e fro m th e m a te rn a l g r a n d m o th e r. S h e

te s tifie d th a t s h e w a s p re s e n t a t th e h e a r in g w h e n h e r d a u g h te r

o b t a in e d a n u n c o n t e s t e d d iv o r c e . R e c it in g h e r d a u g h t e r ’s t e s t im o n y

in t h e f o r m e r t r ia l M s . B r a d f o r d s a id h e r d a u g h t e r t e s t if ie d t h a t M r .

A n d e rs o n h a d a h o t te m p e r a n d w o u ld d is p la y it in p u b lic . O n o n e

o c c a s io n , M r . A n d e r s o n th re a te n e d to c o m m it s u ic id e , a n d s h o t a

h o le in t h e f lo o r o f t h e ir t r a ile r . H e o n c e h e ld a g u n t o h is w if e ’s h e a d ,

a n d o n c e l o c k e d h e r o u t o f t h e h o u s e in t h e r a i n . O v e r M r . A n d e r s o n ’s

o b je c t io n , th e t r ia l ju d g e a d m it t e d t h is t e s tim o n y u n d e r R u le

8 0 4 ( b ) ( a ) , T e n n . R . E v id . W e w ill n o t r e v ie w th e c o rre c tn e s s o f th a t

r u lin g h e r e , b e c a u s e d e s p it e t h a t e v id e n c e , t h e t r ia l ju d g e f o u n d t h a t

M r. A n d e rs o n a n d h is m o t h e r s h o u ld b e g iv e n jo in t c u s t o d y o f th e

c h ild .

- 4 - II.

N a t u r a l p a r e n t s h a v e a c o n s tit u t io n a l r ig h t t o r a is e th e ir

c h ild r e n a s t h e y s e e fit . H a w k v . H a w k , 8 5 5 S .W .2 d 5 7 3 (T e n n . 1 9 9 3 ).

O n ly w h e n it is n e c e s s a ry to p r e v e n t s e rio u s h a rm t o t h e c h ild , m a y

t h e s ta t e in t e r fe r e w it h t h e r ig h t s o f n a t u r a l p a r e n t s . Id . a t 5 8 0 .

T h e r e fo r e , in a c o n te s t b e tw e e n a p a re n t a n d a n o n -p a r e n t , a p a r e n t c a n n o t b e d e p riv e d o f th e c u s to d y o f a c h ild u n le s s t h e re h a s b e e n a fin d in g , a ft e r n o t ic e r e q u ir e d b y d u e p ro c e s s , o f s u b s t a n t ia l h a r m t o t h e c h ild . O n ly th e n m a y a c o u r t e n g a g e in a g e n e r a l “ b e s t in t e r e s t o f th e c h ild ” e v a lu a t io n in m a k in g a d e te r m in a t io n o f c u s to d y .

In R e A d o p t io n o f F e m a le C h ild , 8 9 6 S .W .2 d 5 4 6 a t 5 4 8 (T e n n . 1 9 9 5 ).

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